Product Review: SkyRoll Garment Bag

Unfortunately for her bank account, Senior Editor Caroline Morse Teel is powerless to resist a good flight deal. Follow her on Twitter @CarolineMorse1 and Instagram @TravelWithCaroline.

Caroline joined Boston-based SmarterTravel in 2011 after living in Ireland, London, and Manhattan. She's jumped out of planes and off bridges in the pursuit of a good story (and an adrenaline rush). She loves exploring off-the-beaten path destinations, anything outdoorsy, and checking out the dining and nightlife scenes in hot cities.

Her stories have also appeared online at USA Today, Business Insider, Huffington Post, Yahoo, Boston.com, TripAdvisor, Buzzfeed, Jetsetter, Oyster, Airfarewatchdog, and others.

The Handy Item I Always Pack: "Earplugs. A good pair has saved my sleep and sanity many times!"

What Is It: The SkyRoll garment bag, a carry-on garment bag/duffel bag. If you’ve ever flown to a wedding or business meeting, you know the pain of trying to juggle a garment bag and a rolling suitcase. (And then the garment bag usually gets crammed in the overhead bin anyway.) Enter the SkyRoll. This carry-on is a garment bag that wraps around a round suitcase. You can store suits, dresses, and jackets in the garment bag compartment. Then load up the hollow core of the bag with shoes, toiletries, underwear, etc., wrap the full garment bag around the core, and fly away!

Pros: The design of this bag is genius. Wrapping a garment bag around a round core keeps things much more wrinkle-free than normal packing (yes, even using the rolling method). I like that there are separate compartments for shoes, toiletries (in case of leaks) and other things, and the core would even be great for holding documents. Plus, they throw in a toiletry kit perfectly designed to fit inside the bag. I usually bring rolling suitcases, but I liked the ease of just having this bag over my shoulder—much easier for going up and down stairs, over uneven pavement, and hefting the bag into the overhead compartment.

Cons: The bag is fairly heavy, weighing four pounds when empty, and much more than that when full. Although we like the material, the bag only comes in one style: black with a yellow stripe. Also, at $149.99, this bag is pricey, especially if you prefer to only use the SkyRoll when you need a garment bag, and use a traditional rolling suitcase when you don’t.

How it Rates:

Usefulness: 8/10. The SkyRoll is perfect if you need a garment bag, but not so much if you don’t.

Portability: 8/10. The dimensions (22 inches long by 8.5 inches wide) will fit in most airline overhead bins, but this bag is fairly heavy for a shoulder bag.

Value: 6/10. The price tag is high at $149.99—even if you think of it as two bags (a garment bag plus suitcase) for the price of one.

Durability: 10/10. The material is tough and the claps are all solid, plus the hard core helps to protect fragile items.

Cool Factor: 8/10. The design is cool, but we’re not a fan of the black and yellow combo.

Final Verdict: If you travel often with a garment bag, this product is a life saver. If you just cram jeans and T-shirts into your carry-on, this product might not be the best investment for you.

Editor’s Note: Reviews are based on usefulness, portability, durability, value, and “cool factor.” Some review products are sent to us free of charge and with no incentive to offer a favorable review. We offer our unbiased opinions, positive and negative, and will never accept compensation to review a product. If you have any questions or comments concerning our reviews, or would like to suggest a product for review, please email us ateditor@smartertravel.com.

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